This relates to food, I swear, bear with me.

So the other night I was in my local super-walmart (the only real store here) looking for a novel to read. SWM does not carry science fiction at all. I don't know why, their buyer clearly refuses it. Paranormal romance is as close as they come. So demons and vampires and sex are ok; space ships, no way. Go figure. Anyway, so I'm searching for a book that is 'positive' -- or at least, shall we say, not overwhelmingly focused on death and darkness, from one vantage or another.

I realize as I stand there that that most of the greatest books in literature would not be published today. Aside from a small hardback fiction novel niche, mostly dominated by the death-cult writers as I call them on NYT bestseller lists, ordinary fiction is dead. Little Women would die in a drawer. If you want to sell ordinary fiction today you have to write for the 'young' markets, which are more open by nature of less-supporting sex and gore.

It occurred to me with sadness, as I stood in the book section empty-handed, that if I was not willing to hold a pretty negative focus during the 2-3 hours it takes me to read most novels, that I no longer "fit into society." I could browse both sides of 3 rows of modern novels with lots of money and find nothing to spend it on. Don't get me wrong, I actually LIKE sex and violence and the dark side, but lately I'm working on maintaining a more positive focus, a side-effect of some meditation (mystic aka spiritual) work of late, and no offense to the Divine Will I'm trying to get closer to as part of this, but maintaining this state of mind in the modern world is a real pain in the ass. It is, as I once said about Low Carb, "like trying to be Amish in New York."

Irked by my failure to find a single book that wasn't focused entirely on sex, death or the dark side, I went to the grocery side to shop, where I then attempted to look for foods which had no gluten, no dairy, and little sugar/carbs.

Pretty much the same experience, except of course that I was able to find some meat and produce that fit the bill. Pretty much nothing else in the fairly giant grocery store, during thanksgiving week which is stuffed with food and yummy stuff, qualified.

Much of the time, I deal with the psychology of lowcarb pretty well. Eat meat. I like it. How hard is that. Not a big deal. If you eat meat you're not hungry that often. If you're ok with burgers/steak/chicken/eggs it's pretty easy to cook.

My 13 year old makes LC a pain by being too finicky for everything, then miserable when getting what she's willing to eat, then leaning hard as hell on eating crap, then miserable because she is still overweight. But aside from the HER aspect of lowcarb, most the time, it is ok with me.

And sometimes, it is not. Like the other night, when all the sudden I decided that I am just damn WEARY of having to be a grocery store, family gathering outcast because I don't eat carbs that are EVERYWHERE and I don't eat gluten that is EVERYWHERE and I was hoping to avoid dairy just for a week which is damn near everywhere those are not!

I'm standing in the meat section mourning I can't have cheese on the burgers, standing in the produce section mourning I can't have blue cheese as dressing, and I just snapped. I DON'T CARE.

I just finished eating pesto with ravioli. While drinking a diet mountain dew, now what was the point of that, I suppose . . .

I'm trying to care. It's broken! I'm broken. My I-care-because is broken. I know that I am hugely fat, and best-case scenario under apparently only one of 14 alternative and low-carb eating plans, I do lose weight, albeit verrrrry slowly.

I know that the prospect of eating perfectly rendering another 15 of my ~240 extra pounds gone in a mere few months, maybe, IF everything keeps working, ought to inspire me to fits of dedicated low-carb cooking.

I know that the prospect of becoming further- revoltingly- deformed by loose skin than my ~150# lost so far should inspire me to more of that too.

But, amazingly enough, it's just not working right now.

This happens in cycles. I decide I do not give a damn, I hate all of this, hate having to obsess about my food, hate that I can't just friggin EAT SOMETHING FAST that does not involve cooking, eat something out with other people that does not involve a limited order and vivisection of innocent hamburgers, hate that I feel like it would be so much easier if I were living in a cave with Grok rather than in a modern city with a 13 year old, and I just freak out.

Then I eat what I want for awhile. Usually 1-2 months.

When I come back to lowcarb, it is not because I am sane, have seen the light, am appropriately concerned for my health, or anything like that.

It's because the combination of carb-bloating, gluten-asthma, and dairy-allergies, and all their side-effects, have driven me to a degree of medical symptoms that finally, after 1-2 months depending on what I'm eating, finally has made me so miserable as to outweigh my frustration about how I am a cultural deviant and I can't eat hardly anything comparative to what I was raised to call 'food'.

I bought good food. Burger, chicken, bacon, produce, a filter for my Brita water picher, a few diet drinks. Then I went home, walked to the nearby tiny-store and bought ravioli and garlic bread, like passive-aggressive acting-out behavior.

I've been off LC "mostly" for about a month now. Hopefully, as of Friday (tomorrow we hope to go out somewhere to eat) that will change and the good food filling my fridge will again be enough to sustain me, and the kid, and we will return to being healthier.

Surely I can't be the only lowcarber, especially those with gluten-free and/or dairy-free approaches, that goes through this psychological cycle.

What do you guys do to deal with this? To prevent, or to cure it?

PJ

I liked your comparison to the scarcity of "ordinary" fiction to the scarcity of food without the crap we're all trying to avoid. Clearly what you need is a GF/CF/Carb free novel!

About the eating... you might want to ask yourself if you really want to lose the weight and see if there's a reason you're holding back. I'm not one to go all introspective but something I think you've said in the past -- my apologies if I'm wrong, the memory she ain't perfect -- about not wanting to accept treatment for a budding hypothyroid condition, almost makes me think you really don't want to lose weight. Because it IS about impossible to do with a hypothyroid condition. And thyroid hormone is very connected to our moods and our behavior as well as our ability to lose weight.

And the absolute worst thing you can do, other than self-sabotage by not getting the thyroid taken care of, is to dwell on the "must nots" of your diet. You should be going to the store with a list of what you're going to be eating for the week (or thereabouts), not wandering around aisles and mourning things you aren't supposed to eat. When you've got some time-distance between your eating carbs then these feelings of deprivation and mourning will fade. But only if you stop indulging them.

It kind of sounds like your daughter and you have the same sort of issue. You could take it upon yourself to be a positive role model. Maybe if you accept that challenge it'll be easier for you to succeed and she could get inspired by that.

Anyway, kind of semi-tough talk but I do hope you find your conviction again. And I wish you all the best.

Perhaps you work too hard when you are eating lowcarb; it takes too much will power, and when you run out of will power, you fall completely off the wagon. I had given up dieting completely when I was around 20, because I couldn't stay on any diet for longer than a month, including all lowcarb variations that existed at that time. I reckoned it would be healthier and easier and much more pleasant just to be overweight than keeping losing and gaining weight all the time. Now, if something is hard, I do it, but if it's too hard, I don't do it and I don't feel bad for not doing it. For example, eating less than 50g of carbs a day is too hard. Not eating dairy is too hard. Even if I stop losing weight, I'm still a lot better than I was before, and eating this way is easy for me. I can do it and not be obsessed with food. If you don't want to cook, you can go to a restaurant (choose a good one) and eat a lowcarb meal. They won't cook with the right fats and won't serve you grass-fed beef, but it doesn't have to be perfect. At every moment, I ask myself what I'm willing to do for my health. If it takes too much will power, I don't do it, but often there is a less than ideal, but usually good enough, alternative. With this approach you are constantly working to improve, but never wear yourself out by doing things that require too much will power. That was how I think I've escaped this psychological cycle. Being on a diet is like running a marathon. If you keep sprinting, you'll never finish.

Beats me. I suffer from 'burnout' too.

Why not write something for a maagazine. The thread you started is very well written and has an impact on everyone fighting through the daily rigermaroll of what to eat. Because of Nancy, I am more gluten-aware, but I use gluten flour on occasion for frying chicken. I also have no problems with dairy.Perhaps this is why I am not suffering from burnout but we need to know and understand the difficulties of being "right". All low carbers are not created equally and it is actually a blessing to have someone like you, right now, who can express this to us.

Good Girl!!! Now get to writing.

I've given up, too, in the past. The first time I did Atkins I lost 50 pounds in three months. It was so easy. Then I started adding things that were not Atkins-friendly once a week, twice a week, oh forget it I'm falling totally off the wagon.

the next time I ate LC I lost some weight but didnt stay on it for very long. This time (I started back in early fall -- can't think of the date right now!) I realized, after many false starts, that I had to be in a certain mindset to start.

You can't change your life unless you are totally convinced that it's right and you get that total urge to do it. You have to get excited about it. You have to be so excited that you can't wait for the next meal, just to see what new LC nutritional meals you can invent, what new recipes you can try, and how satisfied you will be at the end of the day because you did good for your body.

It's funny I read this, because I was thinking this morning, when I got up, "I really want pancakes." I knew there was a box of mix in the cupboard, and I was going to put strawberries and whipped cream on top. I was really looking forward to it ... but God apparently decided that I don't need pancakes because the box is empty! So I am staying on plan with sausages and eggs But that's ok, I love sausages! (I may indulge later in sf cheesecake. We'll see!)

But I know that, even if I go by my personal plan and go off Atkins for today because it's Thanksgiving, I'm looking forward to tomorrow to be back on plan.

I guess what I want to say is that you will know when you are ready to be back eating low-carb on the plan that is right for you. Just don't use the waiting time as an excuse to go crazy on garbage.

Peace and have a great day everyone!

I spent a lot of time last year well and truly off plan. It is definitely exhausting to have to plan each and every meal around a truly short list of choices and still see no progress.

If it weren't for a new health condition, I'm not sure I'd have ever found my way back to it honestly. Maybe, since the mental and emotional benefits are high too.

On the other hand, having rededicated myself to being a complete food mutant avoiding a huge list of completely normal *and* low carb foods like ginger and black pepper I'm seeing the first real results in 3 years.

I guess I just got more tired of being broken than I was of trying to fix it.

Just had a few more thoughts. I don't have a very busy social life right now and live alone so I don't have to confront difficult social situations more than once or twice a month on the average. Those are always hard, I'd go crazy if I had to deal with that more frequently... or I'd adapt. Probably adapt.

So that leaves me just having to control my environment, which isn't hard. Bad stuff doesn't go through the door, or if it does, it gets removed after guests go.

I enjoy cooking and I've spent the last few years learning a lot about how to take my limited diet and make it taste really good and I think in the end, that has paid off hugely. I'm so satisfied with what I eat there's no reason to look back and long for other stuff.

I think too some people self-sabotage by setting standards that are too high. When they can't adhere to it they get frustrated and dissatisfied and feel burned out. For me, my only dietary rule is no gluten. I used aversion training to get used to that notion. The other rules are not set in stone and I break them from time to time. Oh yeah, another rule I tend to respect is don't bring into the house something I can't control myself on, especially if it's carby and usually non-carby too.

Although I don't really have any rules about it, I still keep my carbs low. Under 40 probably 99% of the time, under 20 probably 80% of the time. Why? I just have been doing it so long it's second nature. It's how I eat. Huge change is possible, it just takes practice and time.

I still use non-caloric sweeteners because I don't want to give up the sweet taste. It's something I enjoy from time to time.

I sometimes add cornstarch to thicken things. Yes, 2.3 extra carbs per tsp but the trade-off is ok and one I do only every few months, usually when I'm stir frying.

I don't use dairy, generally speaking, but sometimes I do use butter and in social occasions I'm not fussed about it. Gluten I fuss over.

It's gotta be something you can live with and be comfortable with otherwise it's just a waste of time. Sometimes that means learning how to behave differently, sometimes it means adjusting expectations of our own perfection.

Like Citruskiss says, it's just got to be "good enough". Not perfection.

I was at the exact same place 2 weeks ago. Again.

Denial: Well, I don't care if I'm fat. I live well with that.

I found it just so unfair to have to think of food 24/7, just don't go with the flow. Why everybody can eat what they want but not me? That's Anger

Followed by Bargainning: If I just take a break, one day, one week ... it will be easier to start after.

Which of course leads me to Depression, scale is up, I feel bloated, fat, ugly and I hate myself. I'm never able to do it, to stick with what I do. I feel at rock bottom.

It's when I realised that I'm not one of those lucky skinny b*tches. And the only way I'll lose the weight is by sticking with this WOE. And I better do it in a fun way, by cooking, baking goods, rewarding myself with acceptable food, drinking that water. Acceptance

People will tell you it's a mindset. I tell you it's a grief.

Very interesting thread PJ

You know what's weird? Last year, when I came face-to-face with the fact that I am gluten intolerant, I was pretty upset. I couldn't and still can't understand why, since I was doing my usual "low carb" thing sans dairy and having no problems enjoying food.

It was the idea that I'd never, ever be able to have a 'cheat' once in rare while out at a restaurant or for some special occasion. It's not like I'd do this very often in the first place, but I honestly felt like the choice to do so or not had been taken away from me. It's not like I ever get to decide if I'm going to stay on plan or not at a particular restaurant or at someone's house for dinner or what have you. This isn't willpower - it's something that is necessary for my health.

I've kind of gotten past this stuff by making a lot of food at home that is very good. I'm happy with what I'm eating, and when faced with a dinner get together at someone's house, I'll bring food - enough for everyone. Like a sort of 'host/hostess' gift, but part of the purpose is making sure that there'll be enough food or 'something' that I can eat. I find this easier than quizzing people or picking through something. I'll show up with some fancy gourmet g/f chicken brats to a BBQ, a platter of shrimp to a buffet, or a big salad etc.

Hmm...I don't really experience mourning for previously ok foods when shopping in a grocery store - but I'd have to admit, I'm still kind of bummed out about restaurant eating. I find it difficult to get something low-carb, dairy-free and gluten-free in a restaurant situation. I don't find it fun or easy sitting there with a group of people, hungry - and everyone else is noshing on the basket of warm bread and butter that's been delivered to the table. I wish they'd bring something *else* to the table - something other than bread or chips/salsa. How come they never bring some fancy veggies with that oil/balsamic deal? Nope, it's always warm foccacia something or other.

About grocery shopping - most of the time, I won't even go down the aisles at all. I might whip into one of them to get some spices or mustard or something like that.

Um, I know it might sound 'typical' - but the one thing that I always do when heading to the store(s) is to make sure I've eaten first - even if that's just a can of olive oil packed tuna straight out of the can. By the time I get through all the shopping, coming home, carrying the stuff into the house, putting it all away, the *last* thing I want to do is make myself something to eat. I don't come home from a two+ hour shopping trip all raring to go, wanting to cook up some fabulous meal.

PJ - is it possible that the "Don't Care" is actually a case of being hungry? My biggest 'don't care' times come when I haven't eaten. I get hungry at the wrong place and wrong time. This is when I'll cave a wee bit. I'm most susceptible when I start skipping meals or take off shopping or something without considering whether or not I've had something to eat. In fact, just yesterday we were heading out to the mall for some 'pre-screening' of potential Black Friday purchases, and we purposely stayed home a bit longer and made ourselves eat a big lunchtime salad before leaving. I mean, we had our coats on and were about to head out the door, and one of us said, "Maybe we should eat something first?" I remember saying to my husband, "Well, won't there be *something* we could get at the food court?" Turns out that would have been a dicey idea. I mean, even if we were to get some gyro meat on a paper plate, we don't know if it has gluten in it or not. I'm not about to start quizzing the clerk behind a fast food counter about ingredients in a busy mall. There's a sandwich place, we could have maybe gotten some tuna salad or something - but it's a *sandwich* place - crumbs all over everything, I'm sure.

I'd like to suggest eating before shopping - always Then, you'll still have "Don't Care" going on, but it will be not caring about all the carby foods all over the place and not caring about if you can or can't have something. You'll have energy to get through the big shopping trip and back home to put it all away, and you won't come home starving. There'll be a bunch of nice stuff in the fridge - and later on, when you're ready to make dinner or whatever - you'll be in a good mood. Not feeling all deprived. If you're inclined to shop in the evening, go after dinner. Then, once again - a bunch of nice food at the ready in the morning for breakfast.

I'm wondering if maybe you just don't eat enough food when you are LC'ing, or maybe not eating often enough, and finding yourself in a situation where you 'snap' and suddenly don't care. The old hungry at the wrong place and wrong time deal. Running out of food at home, and being hungry and tired. Or coming home from a big shopping trip, tired and hungry and not in the mood to cook. These are my own personal worst-case scenarios. I also get mad and feel deprived if I'm suddenly hungry at the wrong place and time. It's at times like these that I'll go off and buy something stupid, like g/f cookies or whatever.

Meanwhile (geesh, this has gotten to be way too long)...I agree with NancyLC on the perfection stuff. It's not necessary to be so totally strict about every single little thing *all* the time. A bit of flexibility and leeway might help a lot. I've recently found this jarred curry sauce at the grocery store - great ingredients, gluten-free, very tasty and easy to cook with. It's a bit more expensive, and it's also a bit carby-er than seems ideal. This is where my 'don't care' comes in. I do enough, try hard enough, and if I want a fast sauce option that happens to be $6 for the jar and happens to be slightly carby-er, then so be it. Or if I'm feeling particularly hungry and wanting something a bit more-ish - then I'll go ahead and buy the pre-made Wholly Guacamole and goop on like four heaping tablespoons onto my turkey burger. Or maybe I eat some hummus - not technically Paleo (legumes), but it *is* low-carb and gluten-free. I guess what I'm saying is that I cannot do it all, all the time.

I don't think anyone should put that kind of pressure on themselves.

'It occurred to me with sadness, as I stood in the book section empty-handed, that if I was not willing to hold a pretty negative focus during the 2-3 hours it takes me to read most novels, that I no longer "fit into society."'
I guess I 'no longer fit into society' either.
As a volunteer for our local library's support organization, I would practically cry to see books discarded at the end of the book sales (they don't have the room to store books from sale to sale). There are many classics in that pile, beautifully bound, even. Plus my favorites, books from the 50's and 60's, 'Leave It to Beaver' era books with men in smoking jackets on the cover!
The president of the organization (with whom I worked closely) categorized books as more valuable when they were current, trendy, or appealed to narrow tastes. That's marketing! That's what you see when you walk down the aisle of Walmart's book section. That's what you see in bookstores - unless it's a used-book store, or specializes in some area.
That's marketing...but then there's Amazon - which seems to include everything. Just because it's clicks-away on the Internet and somewhat out-of-sight, that doesn't mean it still isn't the giant of marketplaces! It may be disappointing to know that what you see at Walmart represents best-selling stuff. But Walmart isn't designed to be Amazon. Amazon is designed to be Amazon! The vast marketplace, where your own interests guide you to that section and that title you've been thinking about.
The same contrast exists for a grocery store and Amazon grocery. Except they don't ship 'fresh' - you have to go to your local market to get fresh stuff.
Then there are the many websites that sell ethnic foods (I still get e-mail from Zamouri Spices so I can have a Moroccan Thanksgiving - huh?)
Your mind is the guide to foods, to reading, to almost everything. Someone else or something else exerts influence and that gives you a breather. Like people who only buy clothes from a catalog, just one catalog. That takes away most of the thinking.
I really, really have a hard time devoting my energies to the Atkins plan or the Zone plan or even Sugar Busters, which got me started here to begin with. There's a lot of thinking and testing, keeping and discarding - but the only constant is that it is a thinking, testing process. Otherwise, if that is NOT the constant, you can 'buy from one catalog' and never deviate. That can work too, it just doesn't work for me.

'I hate all of this, hate having to obsess about my food,'
Yep. Intermittent fasting (24 hours eating, 24 hours fasting) is not for everyone. But I do it because of just that - I hate having to obsess about food. Obsess all I want for 24 hours, OK, but it quickly gets old when I'm fasting. I postpone that obsessing - I'll do that when I'm actually able to eat. So I'm only doing it half the time and that IS a relief.

I am in the midst of this at this moment. it is horrible, and it happens every so often, I don't know exactly why, but usually I think it is do to major stress (financial, or worry about family issues, etc...) &/or physical issues (hormonal or whatever) that overwhelm me to the point of changing my appetite and taste for food.

Ordinarily (I have been lc pretty happily for probably 75% or more of the last 8 ish years, but every so often...) I love, love, love a few eggs lightly scrambled in butter, decadence would be to eat it with half a slice of lc toast w/gob of butter, and this is totally fulfilling and leaves me happy and uninterested in junk for the rest of the day. I love MEAT! I really do, fatty delicious interesting cuts of meat, plus some lc veggies leaves me perfectly content. But sometimes, like last week, (stress, worry, pregnancy kicking my butt this time) I just lose it.

I think that if I COULD be "not quite perfect" I might be able to handle it better (for example, when I start to go off the rails if I could just sip a mug of decaf with heavy cream and splenda I think it would be very calming and satisfy my hunger and looking for "sweet" that has me driving to three stores hunting down the exact little debbie crap that I used to hide and binge on when I was a kid, but I can't, I will get physically ill, pretty immediately, so instead I make myself sick more slowly by eating pasta, cake, etc, etc. About 50% of the time (maybe even more than that, but still) I get a grip on myself immediately and start fresh the next day, but the longer it takes me to snap out of it the harder it is ("real" food just is not appealing at all, can hardly bring myself to choke an egg down much less eat an adequate amount of protein to start back on the lc road) and I end up depressed, angry at myself, feeling achy and sick, a few to several pounds heavier and with a difficult time in front of me getting back on track.

At this point, it has happened enough times that I know better how to get out of this rut. I am starting by keeping in mind that even if I am eating horribly, it is 'less' horrible if I at least include 'some' good food, so over a couple/few days I start integrating bacon and other protein/fats and a few veggies into the carb fest until they are greater in quantity than the garbage, and I can phase them out completely one morning and get on with eggs and meat and veggies as my "interesting/colorful/treat-like" bit on the plate. Even then, the first few days are kind of white knuckle for me, and I still feel pissed off that I have to go through this. WTF? Why me?! etc, etc. When I am feeling more positive (today seems to be the start of getting back on track for me, less of a tail spin than last year, but who knows, I might be ok for a couple of weeks and lose it right around Christmas again so I can do this over in January...) I am able to look at things and say, well, I eat well most of the time, I have lost weight from my all time high, and even though I fluctuate about 30 lbs from 185-200s at least I am not gaining into new territory, and the times I DO get down to within sight of goal (I feel pretty great when I am in the low 180's and actually gain steam and get really serious about the last "little bit" at that point) are really wonderful health/energy wise. The food intolerance/allergy issue has been the HUGEST problem for me, b/c if I could just dive into lc junk (well, not even necessarily "junk" like heavy cream if you can handle it) artificial crap and all I think it would be better than binging on pasta and be much much easier to get rid of after the fact, y'know? I clearly have some emotional issues with food, but the physical ones make everything SO much harder to deal with.

This is actually really hard and embarrassing to write for me. I mean, wtf, I have been doing this SO long, and I've read EVERYTHING, I can be successful and healthy so much of the time, and still I fall apart about once a year (not always at the holidays, I don't think it's just that, most often it coincides with middle of pregnancy but sometimes it is holiday cooking stuff or just flat out extreme stress) and can't get to where I am actually happy with my weight and energy/feeling good in my clothing. ONCE, in the past couple years I was there, at the lowest about 185, and I promptly started making cookie (dough) for Christmas (theoretically, as if much of it ended up being made into cookies...) and gained back to 200 in a matter of a month. ugh. What do you want to bet I have a problem with gluten as well as dairy since it is ALWAYS wheat that is hardest to get past, I can have a bit of potato (like on dr. K) and be fine, or sweet potato, or even rice, but pasta, baking pastry/sweets and other gluten-y things just make me do stupid stupid things. It isn't even the sweet taste, I am happy w/lc subs and occasionally have them w/out wanting them again for weeks, almond meal pancakes w/faux syrup, no prob, but 'real' pancakes, watch out. (or don't actually, I'd rather no one see what I'm doing...)

And while I am doing this to myself, my family is LOVING it. I hide the worst of it from the kids, so they still eat pretty much the same, but they do get a bit of whatever pasta or whatever I eat at dinner time, and DH feels like every meal is a holiday (and I quote, from 2 nights ago: "see babe, this is why I could never go lowcarb!" in reference to the potato/stuffing/lentils I had in the fridge) so in addition to starting over for myself I have to fight him through the same old arguments and get the crap out of the house and everyone back to eating "normally". It is really hellish misery.

Anyway, PJ, just wanted to say I totally totally understand and feel what you are going through. Today the best I can do is to eat "real" whole foods, even if they are not the best carb-wise, b/c all that turkey and potato and brussles sprouts and pumpkin will at least get me started on the right direction, and I know the eggs and bacon this morning helped as well. Maybe tomorrow I will be able to handle just eggs and bacon for breakfast, and we'll see about leftover meat fro lunch. One step at a time. I KNOW that if I could make a pumpkin lc cheesecake to munch on instead of other crap (or the aforementioned coffee/cream) it would be a faster process, but that is life. I guess. I know you will get back on track too, we always do, just decide when and know you are not alone.

I really hate the not having a choice thing. I'm still mourning cheese bread. Because gluten free bread is ok, but cheese is never going to be ok again and there are just no good cheese substitutes.



I wonder now how many of us have weight issues and emotional issues because we started with food sensitivities? Its been hell figuring out what foods I'm sensitive to.



I'd bet that you're right. Gluten is the most evil. Giving it up *forever* has been really, really difficult. I'm still pretty not-happy about it. But I've also seen the first health benefits and weight progress I've had in years from giving it up.

Interesting thread.

I honestly don't know what you can do about the moments when you snap, but I think it's human nature. We get tired of having to be disciplined about something, be it food, money, etc. We are surrounded by others who indulge. We get angry and get a case of what Doreen (I believe) coined, "the awf*ckits." That's what I call it now.

When I first started out LCing, my main goals were losing the excess weight and keeping it off, an end to carb addiction and food obsession, and better overall health. I achieved this pretty easily, even with regular awf*ckits.

Now, I'm 35 and feeling it. I'm 99% sure I'm gluten intolerant and I seem to be developing arthritis. I absolutely agree with the other gluten-intolerant folks that it's like the choice has been taken away - that makes it a lot harder. The awf*ckits have more dire consequences for me now than they used to. My body screams at me, and now, I have to consider not just "whoops, I might have gained a few pounds of fat," but "how much permanent damage did I just do to my gut and joints?" "How is this going to feel when I'm 40? 60?"

So far, unfortunately, scaring the crap out of myself hasn't been a guaranteed prevention of cheating.

Honestly, I think the best advice for you, PJ, are all the little things you probably already know, and have tried to help newbies with yourself in your posts. Plan ahead. Cook further ahead so that you have more choices in the freezer, ready to be nuked.

As Nancy suggested, try to stay focused on the awesome food you're allowed to have, and not the No No list.

As others have mentioned, don't make it black-and-white, see that sometimes 90% is good enough to stay on track. It's really easy to get overwhelmed by too many rules: grass-fed beef! No processed meats! No store-bought mayo! Fructose will fry your liver! Nightshades contribute to inflammation! Fish has mercury!

ARRGH! (*hands over ears*) >.<

I keep gluten-free hot dogs in the freezer, already opened, so when I want one, I just nuke it. They're not ideal, but who cares? 90% of my other meat is unprocessed, so that trace of corn syrup and flavourings isn't going to kill my efforts. 90% of my fats are unprocessed, so a Tbsp of grocery store mayo in tuna salad once in a while is fine. It's better than giving up.

PJ, how certain are you that you're intolerant to all dairy? I mention it only because I credited going pure paleo last year with curing my asthma and acne, but now that I'm eating the dairy again (and being gluten-free), I still have no acne or asthma. I'm thinking now that it was more an inflammation issue, not the dairy per se. I've been spot-on with my fish oil supplements and I've ditched almost all veg oils, so... maybe it was more the improvement in my u3:u6 ratio?

Another thing that helps me stay on track is to remember that at least I have (a) the knowledge, and (b) the financial resources to eat better. I could easily be someone who had no clue about gluten intolerance, and/or someone dependent on a food bank. Imagine that for a minute. An interesting thought, since it's Thanksgiving in the US...

Anyway, if I had the answers to how we could avoid the "snap" where we just get fed up, I'd bottle it, sell it, and be a millionaire.